Ajinomoto Co., Ltd.

Keiji Iwasaki

Manabu Kitazawa

Kazutami Sakamoto

Eiji Shiojiri

Yoshinobu Takino

Yusuke Amino

Shinji Kuroda

Yuji Iwashita

Megumi Kaneko

Fumie Okura

Takashi Nakano

Yuzuru Eto

Katsumi Ajisaka

Chiori Ijichi

Hiromi Chujou

Taketoshi Okami

Cysteine compounds represented by the following formula wherein each symbol is as defined in the specification, and salts thereof, are superior in stability, have less odor, exhibit an eumelanin production suppressive effect, and are useful as cosmetic agents.

Cysteine derivative

In the present specification is disclosed a melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibitory composition which comprises, as the active ingredient, a di- or tripeptide derivative having a certain naphthyl group or the salts thereof, or a melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibitory compound having a 50% inhibitory concentration of cAMP production (IC50) of 100 nM or less, which composition can prevent pigmentation, or can prevent, improve or recover from immune abnormality or immunodeficiency, or regulate body weight by appetite control, and also can be used as cosmetics or external preparations for the skin, and in addition, can be produced easily, and are excellent in the stability during storage.

Melanocyte-stimulating hormone inhibitors

Objects of the present invention are to provide an oxidative stress inhibitor which is capable of suppressing the expression of a cytotoxic protein and the activation of a gene transcriptional regulatory factor taking part such expression of a cytotoxic protein and exhibits good feeling upon use and safety; to provide a method for preventing, retarding, alleviating or treating a skin change due to aging or an undesirable aesthetic skin change, both caused or promoted by an oxidative stress; and to provide a cosmetic composition or dermatologic preparation for external use comprising the oxidative stress inhibitor as an effective ingredient, and for those purposes are employed an oxidative stress inhibiting agent which comprises, as an effective ingredient, at least one selected from cysteine or cystine derivatives and the salts thereof.

Cysteine derivatives

The present invention provides cystine derivatives, which may be in a free form, a salt form, a solvate form. The cystine derivatives of the present invention may be used to suppress activation of inflammatory factors. Accordingly, the present invention provides: compositions containing the cystine derivatives; a method for suppressing the activation of inflammatory factors by administering the composition; a method for preventing, ameliorating and/or therapeutically treating diseases, skin injuries or disorders involved in the activation of inflammatory factors by administering the composition; a method for preventing, delaying, ameliorating and/or therapeutically treating skin change via aging or aesthetically unfavorable skin change as induced or promoted by inflammatory factors by administering the composition; and pharmaceutical agents containing the cystine derivatives.

Cystine derivative and agent for suppressing activation of inflammatory factors

Amino acid derivatives and anti-inflammatory agents

Provided is a novel active oxygen-resisting agent which has an excellent active oxygen resistance and which exhibits a good solubility in an oil solvent. An active oxygen-resisting agent containing as an active ingredient an amino acid derivative represented by the following formula (I) ##STR1## wherein Ar represents a substituted or substituted 2-hydroxyphenyl group or a pyridyl group, said substitution being selected from the group consisting of a halogen atom, a C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a hydroxyl group, a hydroxy C.sub.1-6 alkyl group, a nitro group, a C.sub.1-6 alkoxyl group or a carboxyl group, R.sup.1 represents a side chain of an amino acid, X represents --O-- or --NH--, R.sup.2 represents a C.sub.8-22 alkyl group, and n represents 0 or 1, or its salt.

Amino acid derivatives and active oxygen-resisting agent

Amino acid derivatives and anti-active oxygen agents

There is disclosed hemoglobin modified in that a poly(alkylene oxide) is bonded thereto by a bond between a terminal group of said poly(alkylene oxide) and an amino group of said hemoglobin, said bond having the structure:

Hemoglobin combined with a poly(alkylene oxide)

An oxygen carrying material containing hemoglobin or a hemoglobin derivative covalently coupled through an amide bond to a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyethylene glycol, polypropylene glycol, and copolymers of ethylene oxide and propylene oxide.

Growing community of inventors

Kawasaki, Japan

Keiji Iwasaki